Someone said:
I have a Dell Inspiron 1150 that like to over heat. Now, I had to
reinstall XP Pro on it yesterday and now I am having this really strange
problem with the over heating. 1) It's happening more.
2) I can garentee that it will over heat when trying to install a .NET
frame work. any of them from version 2 on up. It doesn't matter if I am
updating via the "Windows Update" site or if I download .NET from M$
Just wondering any suggestions.
Thanks,
SBM
A computer must have sufficient cooling, so that the one or more
computing cores can run at a safe temp when the CPU is running at
100%. For example, if you left the room, and some scheduled process
started running on the machine, pushing the CPU to 100%, if
your cooling wasn't working properly, the machine could shut
off from overheat. And that can mess up the file system.
Laptops use a tiny heatsink with fins, and a blower with a short
air path. Cleaning the fins, to allow free air flow, is the cure.
If something has become mechanically dislodged, then overheat
could be caused by a lack of physical contact between cooling
elements and the chips being cooled.
If you still cannot keep the unit cool, even after cleaning the
vents, then seek service for the unit. While a person adept with
a screwdriver, can take a laptop apart in an hour or two, right
down to "bare metal", there are delicate cables in there that
can get damaged. Like any Chinese puzzle, it takes a bit of skill
to put everything back the way you found it. If you bugger it up,
then that $200+ they charge at the repair facility, is going to look
like a bargain. If a tiny ribbon cable gets damaged, you won't find a
replacement for it at Radio Shack.
There is yet another reason that a laptop can run warmer than normal.
The OS has an "idle" task, which runs when no other task is ready to
run. On my computer, the idle loop uses the HLT (halt) instruction,
which halts the CPU and keeps it cool, until the next interrupt
occurs. My processor draws 13.2W when this is working properly.
When I added antivirus software (Kaspersky), this characteristic
got changed, and at idle, my processor draws 50W. If that happened
on a laptop, you'd notice it, because the fan would come on a lot
more than before. I've diagnosed the problem, as a lack of the
usage of the HLT instruction (by using RMClock to install another
idle loop with HLT in it).
So, in fact, a change in thermal behavior, can be cause by software.
But the bottom line is, the cooling system should be designed to deal
with all CPU conditions, even 100% usage for long periods of time
(like running Folding At Home or SETI). If the vents are clear, and
you are not blocking them, by placing the unit on a soft fabric
surface, then the thing should be able to cool itself.
Paul
